A piece of cloth is dated using carbon-14.The cloth is determined to be 1400 years old.The half-life of C-14 is 5730 years.The C-14 radioactivity in the cloth will be ________ the radioactivity in a new cloth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radioactivity of the 1400-year-old cloth will be decreased due to the radioactive decay of C-14 over time. Since the half-life of C-14 is 5730 years, after 1400 years, only about 12.5% of the original amount of C-14 is expected to be present in the cloth. Therefore, the radioactivity of the 1400-year-old cloth will be less than the radioactivity in a new cloth which has not undergone radioactive decay.

A Piece of Cloth Is Dated Using Carbon-14